Viewpoint | GOP stands on principle

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The Leader

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Posted Oct. 30, 2013 at 1:34 PM

Posted Oct. 30, 2013 at 1:34 PM

Republicans in the House of Representatives made a principled stand to stop reckless government spending and save us from the ill-conceived, meanly passed and amateurishly implemented Obamacare. Congress funded the entire government, except Obamacare, but Democrats insisted on all or nothing. This resulted in the partial shutdown which Tom Reed voted for, and he was courageous to do it.

Obama promised that we could keep our doctors and our insurance. Our insurance premiums would decline by $2,500. The entire program would cost less than $1 trillion. None of this is true. Obamacare insurance premiums in Vermont have increased by 144 percent. Increases of 20 percent or more are common, along with high deductibles and co-pays. Because of Obamacare, insurance companies are forced to cancel policies consumers like. Florida Blue cancelled 300,000 policies; in California, Kaiser terminated 160,000. Consumer Reports advises people to avoid the disastrous HealthCare.gov web site. The Teamsters Union pleaded with Congressional Democrats, saying Obamacare will "destroy the very health and well-being of our members, along with millions of other working Americans."

The U.S. economy is staggering under mounting federal debt; the government has been running record deficits since Obama's first term. We borrow about $4 billion dollars every day to fund the government. Social Security and Medicare have promised benefits of $9.6 trillion and $38 trillion – money we don't have. Our unfunded liabilities total $123 trillion. There's not enough money on the planet to fund this, and our economy is sinking under the burden.

More than 90 million Americans are not working, the highest number since the end of World War II. One in seven Americans is on food stamps. The poverty rate is higher than when Obama first took office. We will be the first generation to leave our children an America in decline.

The left always smears and name-calls to avoid debate; they accuse Tom Reed and his Tea Party supporters of extremism. It's not extreme to demand that the government spend only what it takes in; it is extreme to pretend it's okay for the government to borrow 43 cents of every dollar it spends. It's not extreme to delay Obamacare. It is extreme to force Obamacare on us when it is obviously destructive; people can't even sign up for it. It's not extreme to oppose generational theft and protect our children's future from massive debt.

America has always been a country of big dreams and limitless possibilities; each generation could expect to do better than the one before. It's the responsibility of every American to bequeath a bountiful future to our children, which is what America has promised for over two centuries – a place where tomorrow has always been better than today.

Mike Morrongiello is a member of the Town of Corning Republican Committee.